The Ultimate Productivity Tool: Why I Have to Test It in 2013

Structure, process, and productivity tools are four of my favourite words. I make happy places for teams inside of these—as a productivity specialist, I thrive on walking into chaos and creating order.

Over the years of working with numerous companies, the single biggest challenge that I have come up against is the reality that most businesses are built around a collection of email in-boxes belonging to its team members. If I am lucky, those in-boxes have folders and labels attached to them, but this is rarely the case.

The problem is that a collection of in-boxes is not an open system. An open system is characterised by transparency in communication and a flat approach to team structures, which makes blame-shifting very hard to do. Closed systems, on the other hand, are not transparent and lean towards a hierarchical team structure. Closed systems are ultimately counter-productive: they slow work down; they make finding information harder than it needs to be; they make communication impersonal and difficult; they make blame-shifting easy.

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Stop-Gap Measures and Real Solutions

With the arrival of social everything, business has changed to a wide open system, but people aren’t adapting at a fast enough pace. To combat this I generally organise teams around open-system productivity tools which meet specific business needs such as implementing the following:

Implementing all of these is only a stop-gap measure, though: doing so meets a specific need within the business, but by implementing systems that address specific needs, you are still creating walls because these systems don’t talk to each other. On a global scale this means that big businesses that are able to implement systems like SAP still have a competitive edge over a smaller, more agile business because SAP has modules and those modules talk to each other.

In comes Podio and the open-system, productivity-loving nerd in me gets very excited.

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A Solution

Podio is a cloud tool that can be used to manage the following areas:

Virtual office

Project management

CRM and Sales

HR

Finance

Meetings

Lists

Software development

Event management

Marketing

Product development

Customer management

Podio is built around a basic workspace that is highly customisable to suit your team and business. This tool has made it very easy for businesses to select workspaces that are already set up and built around specific types of businesses: for example, there are workspaces specifically for HR teams, or development teams.

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Podio is highly customisable because of its own app marketplace, where you can either install or build your own apps that meet specific needs within your business. This app marketplace is arranged in two ways:

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Around business clusters such as law, fashion, travel, healthcare etc.

Around functional business requirements such as HR, IT, marketing, finance, legal, and the like.

Why Open Systems Are Important For The Future:

Open productivity tools such as Podio, which allow for transparent business communication and workflow across the entire organisation, are important because the cloud and new media technologies mean greater competition with faster disruption. This in turn means that every small business owner needs to have their systems talking to each other to ensure a competitive edge in all respects. Tools that do not allow for this cross-pollination between business functions will eventually die. If finance doesn’t know what development is doing, and development doesn’t know what editorial is doing, you have an unhealthy ecosystem. It really is that simple.

The Implications

The implications of a productivity tool like Podio are far-reaching and numerous, but the most important implication is what will happen to the individual in the workforce: gone are the days where single-domain knowledge was enough to remain competitive in one’s career. We are now in the age where strategic thinking/planning is something that every person will need to learn, and quickly. Every individual in the workplace will need to know the basics about all business functions to be able to function and work collectively in open-system productivity tools like Podio. If marketing can see what finance is doing and development and editorial are working closely together, then marketing and finance need to understand each other, and development and editorial should be singing off the same hymn sheet.

I look forward to introducing Podio to my team and to my clients. Here’s to an open system world that looks very different to the in-box world we have gotten ourselves so used to. I look forward to thinking outside this box.

How Your Attitude Determines Your Success

Do you remember the last time you faced a major setback–when you felt so low, that nothing seemed to make you happy? No matter how hard you tried, you just felt like the world was against you. Perhaps it was a bad relationship, or the loss of a loved one… maybe something bad happened at work? Whatever it may be, could you recall how your attitude was towards that situation?

Often when we’re caught in an unhappy situation, we feel limited and sometimes trapped. We want to get out of it as quickly as we can, but it’s never quite that simple.

Unfortunately, some people can remain in that terrible situation for weeks, months or even years; while others may come out strong and ready to start over–or continue from where they left off–fairly quickly.

So what sets these two groups apart?

The answer is their attitude.

Attitude is everything when it comes to achieving a goal, and tackling a setback or problem.

When you’re able to have a positive mindset, you’ll be able to break free of your limitations that are holding you back.

A positive attitude also goes a long way in ensuring you come out victorious from whatever limitations that were holding you back before. It transforms not just your mental state, but your physical and emotional well being. It is the key to lasting total transformation.

Positive Attitude Brings About Positive Health

When you’re stuck in a rut, often the first thoughts that run through your head are negative, thus your outlook likely becomes pessimistic. But, if you can transform those thoughts into more positive ones, then you’re on your way to talking yourself out of that rut, which allows you to move forward.

Of course, positive thinking doesn’t mean ignoring all the bad or unpleasant feelings altogether. It just means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way–instead of taking everything as a victim to negative circumstances, you see it as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Be aware of self talk!

These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self talk comes from logic and reason, while other self talk may arise from misconceptions that you create. Others could come from external sources such as negative people around you, or messages from the media.

The key is to surround yourself with positive influences that can help turn those negative thoughts into positive, more productive actions.You’ll not only feel better about the situation, but in the long run, positive thinking can lower your levels of distress and depression and give you better coping skills during hardships.

Researchers studying the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health have also found that positive thinking may provide increased life span, better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and even greater resistance to the common cold!

It’s unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits, but one theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body.

It’s also thought that positive and optimistic people tend to live healthier lifestyles — they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet, and don’t smoke or drink alcohol in excess.

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Suffering is Inevitable, So It’s Best to Accept It

Now, one thing that everyone goes through at some point, is suffering. It’s a harsh reality, yet you can’t actually avoid it. We experience suffering as the result of unhappiness, fear, anger, loss or frustration. In fact, it would be hard to even imagine the feeling of happiness if we never experienced suffering! How would we ever compare it?

So instead of wallowing in sorrow about the suffering you have endured, take the suffering as an opportunity for change. Did you get laid off from your job? Perhaps this would be a good time to re-assess your career goals.

Rather than feeling negative and stuck, use your time and energy to find opportunities which will put you ahead. With the right attitude, anything can seem possible.

This may sound crazy, but suffering is the secret to being successful!

Here’s what I mean. It’s impossible to think of new ideas or understand new experiences without stepping outside of your comfort zone. Anyone who has met great successes has also faced many failures, as nobody wins on every try.

To propel you toward success, find a way to track your progress and to set and celebrate small benchmarks. It may be helpful to conduct a weekly review to assess where you are and acknowledge all of the small wins of the week. Every accomplishment, no matter how small, is an achievement; so, be sure to take note of them.

Tracking your progress is also a great way to find and mitigate triggers and hindrances that impede your progress. The point is, you’re making progress; even if it feels like suffering, you can see that it’s leading you to joy.

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Remember, don’t compare yourself to others. Only compare yourself to who you were yesterday. Each step you make towards progress is making you a better version of you.

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Gratitude Goes a Long Way in Shaping Attitude

Now, this may seem difficult to do when you’re already feeling down, but having gratitude is a very useful when you’re trying to navigate your way out of a setback. Being grateful for existing accomplishments and the supports in your life will help you see them more clearly, build your own confidence, and give you a better overall outlook on what your limitations really are and what you have to do to overcome them.

With a grateful attitude, you limit the damage of negative influences, and strengthen the impact of positive ones.

Being grateful, even during the toughest of times, steers your attitude towards a more positive one, allowing you to get back on your feet much more quickly. Many studies done on gratitude have shown positive results for people who practice regularly, such as improvement in relationships and in mental health. There’s even studies that show higher motivation in work settings due to a simple ‘thank you’ from managers to their subordinates.

Believe in Yourself and Your Truth

This is often easier said than done, but is also the most empowering truth to overcoming your setbacks and limitations in life.

Many people find it hard to keep a positive attitude during tough times because they lack inner confidence. They doubt their abilities because of the ‘failure’ that they’re experiencing, and don’t think that they can rise above again.

Confidence is a result of getting out of your comfort zone. The more you do this, the more confident you’ll be, and the more positive your attitude will be. Confidence will help you see your goals more clearly, find your strengths within, reach your goals and overcome your limitations much more quickly.

Here’s a quick story about my own struggles helping me get ahead:

When I first started Lifehack, it took a long time to gain a solid readership. Just getting 100 visitors was a challenge and took a good bit of time. I had great ambitions for this site, yet it seemed like I was doomed to fail. I received plenty of criticism, too. Some people thought that the world didn’t need yet another self help site, others offered the opinion that there was something wrong with the idea itself and I was making a mistake.

It was hard for me not to listen to them and, at some times, agree. But, persistence is key, and in the end I chose to believe in my truth.

I worked tirelessly changing the site layout, restructuring articles, and making the site more user friendly. Slowly, I expanded to a team with the hiring of some extremely dynamic and talented people. With each determined effort, the site grew in popularity, and a few years later, we had influenced millions–and continue to do so.

Pushing myself out of my comfort zone and facing every challenge head on were the greatest contributing factors to increasing my confidence. So welcome the challenges that come; don’t avoid them, as they’re all opportunities in disguise to feed your growth.

Your Attitude Sets the Tone for Success

Do you see the importance of having a positive attitude? It is so much more than a mindset or state of mind. Your attitude sets the tone for every action and behavior that follows after, and that will determine how long it takes for you to break free from your current circumstance.

So if you’re currently in an unhappy situation, why not give it a try and look at things from a more positive outlook? As mentioned, not only does having a positive attitude bring about favorable outcomes, it also brings about positive health in the long run.

Embracing hardship as it is, and using it as a learning experience to grow, will also make you stronger. And, whether you’re going through good or bad times, practicing gratitude will no doubt help to limit the damage of negative influences, and strengthen the impact of positive ones.

Lastly, in any circumstance, you are your greatest barrier to success, which is why it’s important to always believe in yourself!

You will always have the power to be in control of your situation because your attitude is determined by you. So start harnessing all that positive thinking to turn those limitations into strengths!